Sailor Venus's Secret Past
by GreekSailor
Summary: Sailor Venus finds herself fighting off monsters in England again. Only this time a mysterious stranger appears with a warning for her. He will eventually explain to her everything from the Silver Millennium that everyone else has forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

Venus is one of the four solar terrestrial planets, meaning that, like the Earth, it is a rocky body. In size and mass, it is very similar to the Earth, and is often described as Earth's "sister" or "twin" –Wikipedia

Chapter 1: Venus's Midnight Dream

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" A beam of shining white light shot through the darkness striking a screeching phage. Out of the shadows a girl dressed in an orange sailor suit appeared. Her knee length blonde hair was blowing in wind as she approached the monster twice her size. No fear could be seen anywhere on her face as she addressed the creature while it was caught off guard by the surprise attack. "What kind of monster attacks innocent police men trying to keep the city they love safe? I cannot let you get away with this! I am Sailor Venus, the soldier of love and beauty, and in the name of Venus I will punish you!" As she finished, the monster didn't waste anymore time and lunged at her. Venus dodged then sent her own attack flying at him. "Venus, Love and Beauty, Shock!" Her attack hit straight on and the monster fell over motionless. She smiled at her handy work while a white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead jumped down from a nearby ledge onto the ground next to her. "I did it Artemis! Aren't you proud? It's been a while hasn't it?"

Artemis looked up proudly at his long-time friend. "You sure did Venus. Too bad we have to spend our vacation fighting though. I wonder what that thing was anyway. It's a shame Sailor Moon isn't here to heal it." He hopped onto her shoulder and the two turned to leave. Suddenly the monster let out a loud cry and leaped up once more. Venus turned around just in time to see the creature leaping towards her in midair and a razor sharp orange rose striking it down once more. Venus looked up confused. "Tuxedo Mask? Wha-"

The outline of a tall figure in a black tuxedo was standing on the nearest rooftop. Before Sailor Venus could question him he cut her off. "Princess, you can't just leave that monster. You must heal it! It's time to use the rest of your un-awakened powers! You'll know what to do! You've done it before."

"Princess?" The masked man wasn't making sense. She'd only healed people who were under spells. She never turned a phage back into a person. "B-but I haven't done any healing since my Sailor V days, I don't even have the compact anymore. I'm not Sailor Moon! I-I don't have the power to heal… " She stuttered. His voice took her off guard. It was clear he wasn't her future king but some new acquaintance. The monster started to move again, attempting to get back up.

"Now, Princess! You must remember your power."

She didn't know what to do, but soon the residents of the town would be waking up and walking through the area. If she didn't do something now they could be harmed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes remembering the magic compact she used and the words she would utter to heal the people that were hypnotized. "Venus Love Healing Shower!" A shining light grew above the creature and beams of healing light fell upon it like rain. The monster turned back into its original form, a local dog catcher. Venus watched a bit shocked as she felt new power flowing through her. The mysterious stranger jumped down and joined her in the alley. Venus backed away a little not sure what to think of him. However, she could now see his features much clearer. He had wavy dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that were only visible through a mask. His outfit was identical to Tuxedo Mask, only instead of red roses, he carried orange tinted ones.

Even though many of his features were covered Venus could tell he was an extremely handsome man. She was sure she could trust him, but she had several questions: a stranger appearing from nowhere, dressed as her future king, and who knew her name and hidden powers. "Who are you and why are you dressed as my friend Tuxedo Mask? And how did you know all those things about me?"

The stranger only chuckled as he took a few steps forward and shortened the distance between them. "You ask too many questions, Princess. All you need to know right now is that I'm your friend, a close one, and you can call me Midnight Dream. Now please listen to me. You're in danger, and I'm here to protect you. Someone has awakened and is searching the galaxy for you. We don't know what he wants, but he'll hurt you. So promise me you'll be more careful, even around little monsters like this one. They're bound to be connected somehow. I've been told I can't reveal anything else until it's the right time." Venus could only stare at him in shock. _Who could want me?_ She thought to herself. But he started talking once more breaking her concentration.

"Now it was a long night for you, love, so you should return home and rest. Even the soldier of Beauty needs her beauty sleep. And here, this is for you so you won't forget me already." Midnight Dream extended a hand containing a single rose and handed it to her. "Now princess, I must leave you for now, but when you need me I'll be there." He turned to walk away then stopped. "Oh, one more thing…" He walked over to Venus and pressed his lips against hers. An explosion of feelings took over her mind, all familiar yet all new to her. She couldn't tell how long it lasted, but when her eyes opened again he was gone. The only trace of his existence was his voice echoing through the alley. "Good night, Princess."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Finding a Friend on a Lonely Vacation

Minako rolled over in her bed, not quite ready to get up yet. The sun, however, was not helping her plans of sleeping later much as the bright, warm rays were shining throughout her hotel suite hitting her body. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The clock read 12:07pm, and the warm fur ball curled up on her stomach told her Artemis was still asleep. She felt a little sore but couldn't quite remember why until she looked a little more carefully at the small end table next to her bed. She shot straight up sending Artemis tumbling to the floor. A single orange rose sat there and everything from the night before returned to her.

"Artemis, are you ok? I'm sorry; I just thought everything from last night was a dream. It was all real…everything." She picked up the rose and also found a small note next to it. She began reading with much anticipation but quickly discovered that is was not a note from her Midnight Dream.

_Minako,_

_Your father and I left for the beach this morning._

_Since you feel no need to tell us when you leave,_

_we didn't feel we needed to tell you when we left. _

_Next time you sneak out in the middle of the night,_

_it's probably a good idea not to bring back a flower_

_from one of the nearby parks. Consider yourself_

_grounded when we get back to Japan. We'll be gone_

_for three weeks, so I hope you can stay out of trouble _

_by yourself in London. There's enough money in your_

_wallet for food for you and that cat so you're set._

_Love, Mom._

Minako couldn't believe it. Her parents dragged her all the way to London on a painful vacation only to abandon her for a romantic getaway. They didn't know of her past here in her Sailor V days, but her mother had an unusual knack of punishing her in the cruelest ways. It was almost like she planned this trip knowing of Mina's past with Alan and Katarina just to remind her of the loss. The tear between her and her mother was almost unbearable. Ever since she began her life as a Sailor Senshi, she was constantly being punished for sneaking out and breaking curfews. When she had to go to England to find the Dark Agency, her mother just thought she ran away to a friend's because she hated living there. That night was the closest she ever got to revealing her true identity to her family. Her mother just assumed she was doing it only to be rebellious and began treating Minako like an unloved step-child or sometimes as if she didn't even exist at all. For some reason Minako got used to it quickly. It seemed isolation was normal for her. The kids at school never liked her and now her family. It made sneaking out with Artemis for missions much easier though.

"Mina? Is everything ok?" Artemis asked as he stretched.

"Yes. Mom and Dad left us alone." Instead of the expected reaction, she simply smiled and placed the rose down. "I wonder what kind of things we can do now that we're not being watched 24/7!" She got up and quickly got dressed. She was glad that she could spend time with one of her best friend's without her parents' interference, but she couldn't get her mind off of last night's incident now. "Artemis, I hate to ask, but do you know anything about that guy from last night or what he was talking about?" Her question came out a little awkwardly, but she knew it was because she was desperate for answers. Judging by the look on her cat's face, he was too.

"I was honestly hoping you'd forgotten Minako. I don't know that guy, but he sure knew a lot about us. As for what he said, well you already knew you're a princess, and I'm sure all the Sailor Soldiers have some hidden powers still. It's a bunch of stuff we all know already, but would some stranger know all that? Not to mention how he completely invaded you personal space. However, I think you need to be super careful if you need to do any Sailor stuff while we're here for a while… I am a little worried about how that dog catcher was turned into a phage though too. And the timing with when that dream guy showed up is just too close, Mina. I hope he wasn't the one-" Artemis was cut-off by Mina's glare.

"You can't possibly think that Artemis! He helped us. He saved both of our lives too, not just mine. You should be thankful! He warned us of danger too! Who would do that if they want me dead?" She realized she probably came off a bit harsh, but she just knew her hero wasn't bad. There was something about him that was so familiar; like she'd known him when they were kids or something. And the kiss; it was like something from a dream. She picked up her companion and gave him a tiny squeeze before placing him on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Artemis. But he just doesn't seem bad to me. Now let's just drop it and go have fun!" The two left the hotel without another word about the previous night's incident.

The English streets were busy today. People running to work or people out shopping were everywhere. She received a few strange looks because she kept whispering things to Artemis, but it reminded her of home though. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar face smiling at her from one of the shops' windows. Surprised, she stopped and found herself looking straight into not only Sailor Moon's eyes but her own as well. Two large posters stood in the window advertising their perspective games. "Look Artemis! It's an arcade! They just got Sailor V; let's go check it out! I bet I'll take the high score in no time!" She walked inside the arcade and was happy to find it looked very similar to the Crown. There weren't many people there other than the boy at the counter and three other boys gathered around a popular fighting game. She spotted the Sailor Moon and Sailor V games in the middle and walked over. They were the same games that she used to play everyday with Usagi back in Japan. She decided to play the Sailor Moon game first, feeling like she'd have had too much of an advantage in the Sailor V game since it was actually designed for her training. She popped in a coin and the game went straight to the character selection.

"Mind if I join you? This is my favorite game but no one here wants to play it with me." The guy from behind the counter was now standing next to her. She hadn't really expected for anyone to talk to her so she was caught off guard.

"Oh, I um…no I don't mind." She replied as she moved over a bit so he'd have room to play.

"Awesome, thanks! I'll let you pick your character first though. I'll be the evil one too so you can be one of the cute Sailors." He had somewhat of a cocky smile on, but he seemed nice enough. Minako went straight to Sailor Venus without even thinking about it. "Ah, the hot one. Good choice. You actually resemble her a bit." He joked as he picked a monster that looked like it was some sort of evil rock star.

Mina laughed at her secret compliment. "Yeah, she's just my favorite. I always play as her because I know all of her moves already." Artemis let out a warning meow to tell her to watch what she was saying. "I mean I just know her moves better than the other characters." _1, 2, Ready, Fight! _The game began and the two were evenly matched throughout, but Mina got a slight advantage in the end and beat him. She jumped in the air to celebrate. "Yay! I won! You're pretty good though! I mean I probably had an advantage because this game has been in the arcade back home for a while."

"Man, I never thought I'd lose to a girl. I mean no offense; it's just a guy thing. You're really awfully good at this game. I'd ask for a rematch, but I'm not actually supposed to play the games while I'm at work. It was my late uncle's arcade, but I own this place now. And I want to be a good example. You're not from here though are you? I think if you're that good I would have had to have seen you in here at least once playing the game." He let out a small chuckle. "I'm Lorin by the way." He extended a hand to her, and she accepted the handshake as she introduced herself.

"I'm Minako, but you can call me Mina." Artemis moved slightly on her shoulder and Lorin's eyes went straight to him curiously as if remembering he was there. "Oh this is Artemis, my cat. I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't bring pets inside buildings, but he's my only friend here."

"No, it's fine. I like cats. Artemis? Isn't that a moon goddess's name? Funny thing to name your male cat, but I guess that moon shaped bald spot makes it a little okay. You know I think I've seen him before, the other night actually." Mina was a little confused by him. She knew he was wrong because Artemis hadn't left her side since their plane landed. "Well anyways, he's your only friend here? Well, I get off at 6 if you'd like to have another friend. We can grab a bite to eat maybe. My treat! And then I will definitely challenge you to a rematch!"

"I'd totally love that! I love Artemis, but real human contact would be nice. I'm here for a month, away from my best friends, and my parents ditched me for the French beaches already. Not to mention this new wave of crime sprees has me a bit tense. I heard Sailor V has appeared again though! She'll wipe them all out in no time." She felt Artemis's claws contracting this time out of protest.

"Yeah, I hope you're right. The enemies seem much tougher this time though. I hope she can take care of it. But anyway how about we meet here at 6? There's a place across the street that serves the best curry. And Kitty here is welcome to come as well." He scratched Artemis's head and smiled at Mina.

"Sure thing. I'll see you later Lorin." She left the arcade too excited to hear a word of Artemis's scolding. Two guys had already shown some kind of interest in her. Her trip to London may not be as bad as she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Secrets and Loves**

Minako had spent the rest of her evening getting ready for her dinner with her new rather good looking friend. Her cute and casual red skirt with matching straps and white blouse always made her look adorable so of course she wore that. She was just turning the corner by the arcade as Big Ben began to chime, signaling it was now exactly 6pm. She looked up and could see Lorin locking the doors to his arcade. So she ran over to greet him.

"Hey there, stranger. Did you miss me?" She teased him with a smile which he returned but didn't look up at her.

"You're late." He joked back, "It's thirty seconds passed 6. Way to make me wait, Minako." He laughed as he finally looked up to see her properly. His eyes lit up in surprise, "Whoa, Mina, you— you just look like someone I knew a long time ago. But wow, you really do look like that Sailor Venus girl. Now let's eat! I'm starved." He turned to face a tiny restaurant across the street leaving Mina to stare at Artemis in shock.

Mina quickly got her composure back and scurried after him. In typical Minako fashion, she slipped and had to grab onto his arm to balance herself. "S-sorry! I'm a tiny bit of a klutz." They both started to giggle as they walked in the restaurant's doors. It was small, but in a cozy way. Everyone inside seemed to know each other and all the workers introduced themselves to her and greeted her while they all welcomed Lorin as well. It was obvious he was a regular. There was a little family sitting in the corner with three small children and a table of teenage girls and boys and they all waved too. It reminded her of home. The feel was identical to the parlor in Tokyo where everyone hung out after school. They sat in a corner a little bit away from the rest of the people though. The main difference from this place and the one back home was the food on the menu. She stared at the folded sheets not seeing anything she normally ate or anything she was familiar with for that matter. She was frantically searching for some curry or some kind of noodle dish, but the menu didn't have anything close. The waitress was already there taking Lorin's order for some kind of stew. There was always a first time for something new. "Oh make that two please." Mina smiled a bit as the waitress left still with no clue what she ordered. She didn't have to dwell on it though because Lorin was feeling chatty.

"So you never quite told me why a pretty girl like you is doing all alone with nothing but a cat for protection, far from home. Luckily you were found by a nice guy like me, but hey you're a lucky girl!" Lorin chuckled but looked at her expectantly. "But seriously now all jokes aside. How come?" He still wanted a back story it seemed. Mina frowned a little; she really didn't want to talk about it. She realized how much it actually did hurt that her mother and father left her there alone. She never talked about it to anyone except Artemis and that too was only small talk. No one ever knew what her home life was like, but it seemed like she could just trust him.

"Well I'm not all alone. I mean I wasn't at least. My parents are here, but they left for the French beaches for more than half of the vacation without me because I got caught sneaking out to fi- I mean sav- no…" Artemis's claws were practically digging into her shoulder. Apparently "fight bad guys" and "save lives" were too much of a giveaway for his liking. And judging by the confused looks on Lorin's face, Artemis was right. "I got caught sneaking out to help people."

"To help people? Yeah because that's completely normal." He said in a sarcastic voice. "Why would a teenage girl be sneaking out of her room in a foreign country to _help_ people in the middle of the night?" Lorin asked in the same tone. He could tell she was hiding something but she didn't know what else to do so she decided to go with the truth—well most of it.

"Okay, Mr. Curious, I heard a scream so I went to see if the person was hurt or needed help. Then this huge beast came out of nowhere and was trying to attack someone, but then Sailor V showed up. A-at least I think that's what she called herself."

"No way you're totally lying there was no one in that alley besides that gorgeous Sailor V girl and Midnight Dream. At least that's what I read in the paper…how did you not get spotted?"

His hasty response threw her off for a second, but then she laughed. _Oh, he thinks I'm gorgeous. He's so sweet. He doesn't know but he's totally flattering me with all this. Maybe Sailor V will have to make an appearance just for him. _It was obvious Minako had found her newest crush as her thoughts went on and on. She almost forgot he was asking a question. "Oh I um, well I just hid so the monster wouldn't see me and I stayed there until it was all over. And wait a minute—" She paused trying to remember the newspaper stand that she passed on the way over. Artemis made her stop to double check there were no headlines about Sailor V at all, and besides that incident happened way too late for it to be printed in today's paper. "The story's not in the paper. I um, I read it this morning! What were you doing last night?"

His face was hard to read. It was obvious he was hiding something, but she had no idea what. "I was um…_helping_people. You see I'm a reporter on the side. Some of my friends and I run around town writing about the heroic deeds that go on so people can read good news for once too. My main job is to track Midnight Dream. He's the town's major hero you know. And I'm the only one who's ever gotten a good picture of him. I guess you can say I'm kinda like his personal secretary. I write down all his work and then brag about him." He paused and let out a chuckle. "…actually change that all to Sailor V now. I'd follow her around all night if I could. Although, my friends might fight me for that one. I'm going to find out everything about her though one way or another… She's just so mysterious. I just have to meet her." He was talking more to himself now than to Minako. All the Sailor V obsessing was beginning to make feel uncomfortable. She loved the attention, but not when she couldn't accept it. She couldn't afford any more slip ups either. Her identity had to be kept hidden even from her newest crush. However, not even he could tear her mind from the other man she met.

"Sailor V is so last year though, Lorin! Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus are what's hot now in Tokyo. But I have to hear about them every day! So please, please tell me about this Midnight Dream guy! I've been here before, but I've never seen or heard of him. He sure is amazing with the way he just arrived out of nowhere…s-so I've heard." Her curiosity got the best her and her leg got the worst of Artemis's claws. "Owwwwwwch! What the heck Art—I mean. Um I think something bit me. Excuse me for a minute please." She said as she excused herself and walked towards the bathroom. She checked to make sure she was alone before addressing the feline. "Just what the heck was that about Artemis? It's not like he knows or is even close to figuring it out!" She told her cat in a flustered tone.

"Minako, that's not even the issue this time. You're getting too close to this guy. You've practically told him your life story and hinted at being V. Just because you're the goddess of love doesn't mean you have to actually fall in love with every guy that talks to you! I mean you've been here three days, and you're already falling for two guys…"

"No, Artemis, Minako is falling for one, and Sailor Venus is falling for the other. Minako and Venus are never in the same place at the same time are they? See it's okay that way! Besides it's just a month…"

"Mina. No. When are you going to get that you're not two different people. You are Venus. If you knew anything about love you'd never try to two-time or deceive these guys anyway. Besides you don't know anything about either of them. For all you know that Dream fellow could be an enemy. I mean don't forget, even Ace wasn't really on your side." Artemis was trying so hard to prove his point and had to make a low blow to do so. Ace was the most tragic of Venus's lovers so after his death, it was an unspoken agreement between the two friends to never speak of him again.

Mina didn't have time to react to his words though. The next thing she heard was glass shattering, people screaming, and something roaring. "What's going on? Artemis? Lorin was in there and those kids!" Their little argument was in the past already. They edged the door open slightly and saw one of the ugliest monsters they'd ever seen walk in front of the tiny hall.

"Minako, we need to get out and help. Transform!"

"Right!" She shut the door and locked it, and a crystal wand appeared in her hand. "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!" Orange ribbons of stars surrounded her as her transformation began. When the lights cleared the room Sailor Venus was now standing there. More screams and crashes could be heard from the restaurant and she opened the door quietly to make sure no one saw her exit.

"Wait V. Take this. We can't take any chances anymore just in case his warning was right. You're still popular here besides. We can't risk a thing." Artemis gave her her old red mask that she used to wear as Sailor V. She quickly put it on and tried to look around the corner to see what happened.

She could hide in the little hall until she could find out what exactly the monster wanted. However, the monster grabbed a blonde girl from under a table so there was no time to think of a strategy. The girl was so terrified she couldn't even scream. "V? Blonde hair. Must be V. Come! Show me." An angry mutated voice cried. Venus couldn't help notice he sounded slow though.

Venus jumped out into the open quickly. She couldn't take this. "Hold it right there Ugly! Just who do you think you are? Taking innocent pretty blonde girls because you're looking for Sailor V? You're taking the long way around, but I'm right now so let her go!"

"Who you? " The monster grunted sounded more like a confused caveman.

Venus scoffed. "I'm the one you're looking for genius! I'm the soldier of love and beauty! I'm Sailor Venus, but you know me better as Sailor V! And it's my job to protect beautiful girls and boys from ugly monsters like you!" She was trying to stall the monster so he'd put the other girl down. "And in the name of Venus, I will punish you!"

"Venus? V? V. Pretty. Must capture." The monster dropped the girl who luckily was uninjured and headed towards Venus now. The beast's fingers somehow turned to knives and he began slashing through the air in her direction at full speed. She dodged quickly, and the monster hit the wall. "You made me angry!" He growled. The knives began growing and changing to a green color and he somehow could shoot them at her like arrows too. One nearly missed her and hit the other wall. It didn't just stick in the wall, but burned a huge hole into it.

"Wha— What is going on? He didn't have those a second ago." Venus had no idea what was happening. It was like the monster just powered itself up just by getting angry.

"They're laced with some kind of acid V! You can't get hit at all!" Artemis yelled from around the corner still making sure no one saw him. However, a talking cat probably wouldn't be noticed at all next to the giant evil creature.

"Easier said than done…" She managed to mutter as she dodged another round of the knives that kept reappearing. "He doesn't seem that smart though. Maybe he's all about attack and no defense. Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" The monster unexpectedly dodged quicker than she could have imagined. "What? How did he move that fast?" She was getting a little worried. There were still innocent people inside that could get hurt, and at this rate they were going to. "Venus Love-me Chain!" She shot another attack at him hoping to tie him up. This time, however, the monster grabbed the chain and began pulling her towards him instead, something that never happened before. "No! Let go!" The monster swung the chains around her hands pulling even harder and leaving her hands tied to it. Her attack had backfired completely now.

"Come V. My prisoner now. Boss wants you now!" The monster said ignoring her struggles.

"Let me go! I don't wanna see your boss! Let go!" Out of nowhere a razor sharp orange rose came and sliced the chain in half. It disappeared on both sides freeing Venus and leaving the monster yelling in protest. "Midnight Dream! You came to save me!"

"Princess, we have to work together to beat him! He was once a troublesome boy known as his class's dunce. Don't take him too lightly though. What he lacks in knowledge is made up in fighting skills. But you must heal him!" Midnight Dream jumped down to her side and joined her. The tiny room was almost completely destroyed and getting more and more crowded with debris.

"Midnight Dream, what do I do? These people are in danger." She was never happier to see a friend. No matter what Artemis may have thought, she knew he was good.

"Good question…I haven't quite figured out the next part. Just improvise! I believe you're good that still." He gave her somewhat of a smirk then dodged as a round of knives hurled towards them once more.

"I was expecting a little more advice…" She sighed as she examined the monster for some kind of weakness. She watched carefully as more knives sprouted where fingers should be. Right before they popped up though five green bubbles formed. She was sure that was where the acid that Artemis warned her of was contained. "That's it! I got a plan! Follow my lead Midnight Dream! Hey Ugly, is that the best you can do? Why don't you aim over here? You probably couldn't hit this wall!" Her taunting seemed to bring out a competitive side in the beast; he roared and aimed at her. She dodged again but this time quickly attacked. "Venus, Love and Beauty Shock!" The attack hit the acidic bubbles before he had time to make more knives appear, and they popped all over his arm. He squealed in pain as his mutated limbs bubbled. In the confusion he aimed the knives in his other hand in a random direction. Midnight Dream followed Venus's strategy as he was told and threw some of his roses at the monster's other hand with the same results.

"Princess, V, do it now!" He signaled for her to heal the boy.

"Right! Venus Love Healing Shower!" Just like the event with the dog catcher, the light poured onto the monster and the boy he once was slowly began to reappear.

"All right! We did it! I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks Midnight Dre—" She was cut-off mid-sentence with another passionate kiss from her hero. Images of a beautiful castle and veiled but familiar faces took over her mind. All of this including the kiss felt so right and so perfect, but before she knew it her eyes were opened and the room was filled with a flash of a camera but couldn't tell where it was from.

"Until I see you again my princess. Don't forget me." He tossed her another rose. Midnight Dream quickly jumped out a window and Venus quickly fled the scene after him so no one could catch another picture. Her head was still swimming so she ran behind the building into the empty alley and sat down.

_Why is he so familiar? I've never met him before not to mention kissed him…what was that place. The Moon Kingdom? No…it was different somehow. But so familiar…he's familiar. Like I know him… _She was a little startled as Artemis hopped onto her shoulder. "Oh. Artemis! I…um. What's going on?"

"I don't know Mina…but I think you're right about that Dream fellow. However, I still don't like the way he looks at you…" He caught himself before going to much further. "But you're going to have to keep that mask on until you're out of London. They have pictures of the both now. I'll be willing to bet whatever newspaper gets a hold of that shot will be selling a good hundred copies to the person who's behind the attacks. They're going to try and find you. It's totally clear that they're searching for you in particular, and I don't know why…But you need to get back in there. You're on a date, remember? I'm sure 'someone' is looking for you. " He didn't sound extremely thrilled about this but he was right.

She turned back into her civilian clothes placing the rose into her pocket and tiptoed around the corner and back into the restaurant. Everyone was so busy talking about the battle no one noticed her. She began searching for Lorin but didn't see him anywhere. _Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing him at all during the fight…_ She began to worry and started walking towards the door to see if he got outside, but he walked in before she got there. "Lorin! Where were you? I was so worried." She ran over and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Minako. I'm so glad you're okay!" He hugged her back just as tight. It was like they were friends forever. "I thought you'd be safe where you were so I left to find help. It looks like it's all over though…so um what happened exactly?" He looked around taking in the damage.

"Um well that monster came and grabbed some blonde girl thinking she was Sailor Venus..." Minako told the entire story to Lorin. "…and finally Venus healed him and Midnight Dream kissed her. Do you know what's going on?"

"Well I guess he just loves her or something." Lorin said without hesitating leaving Mina blinking in a little bit of shock.

"Uhh…I was referring to the attacks…but that's nice too." It was nice…the idea of someone loving her…

"Oh. Um yeah of course. I don't know really. I just hope she's careful. She seems to be in more danger than she knows." His voice trailed off as Minako yawned. She really just wanted to go home and think things over. Someone was after her and she didn't know why. It was like Lorin could read her mind though. "Maybe I better walk you home now Mina. You look really tired. I don't feel safe letting you be on your own tonight though especially if they're after every blonde girl around. And after all this excitement, I'm sure you just need rest." Mina nodded in agreement and the two began walking towards her hotel. "I'm sorry our dinner was ruined. Maybe we could try again tomorrow?" He smiled as he took her hand. Mina felt her cheeks turning red.

"Sure thing! I mean I don't have plans or anything…"

"Great! Let's make it a lunch date then. I'll pick you up though since I know where you're staying now!" They had arrived at her hotel already so they started saying good night. "Thanks again for having dinner with me, Minako. I hope you're not completely turned off of me because of the attack. I promise these things don't normally happen."

Minako giggled flirtingly, "well, I'm not so sure…just kidding, I'm always up for an adventure. Having your life kinda threatened is healthy once in a while right?" They both laughed now. "Well good night Lorin. Thanks for tonight."

"Nah thank you! Much more fun than sitting in my place staring out the window. Good night Beautiful." He then kissed her cheek before letting go of her hand and turned back towards the main street. She pretended not to hear Artemis's annoyed scoff and walked inside to her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The First Clue**

The stars were still shining outside, but Minako found herself staring wide awake at the ceiling of her hotel room. Artemis was purring in sleep still cuddled close to her. She had only gotten 3 hours of rest and couldn't calm her mind enough to sleep anymore. It was almost 6am, and the sun would rise soon enough. She had woken up around 4 from the worst nightmare she ever had. In her dream, she was a little girl again. She was playing in a room with another blonde girl, but the other girl was somehow better than she was. She was prettier, she had nicer things, the servants treated her better, she even shined brighter, but she didn't act like she was better. She treated Mina as an equal when they played because she didn't know she was highly ranked. Minako envied the pedestal that the girl was placed on, but she still loved her more than anything. They had a bond that couldn't be broken by anything. Suddenly a man with an evil appearance barged in and grabbed Minako by her wrists and dragged her down the hall. His long white hair, black robes, and threatening voice sent chills through her body. She couldn't see the man's face, but she still knew who he was in her dream. The corridors were filled with dark energy, and dark figures roamed them freely. She had been expecting him to come for her for a long time. She knew this was her fate. He pulled her into a throne room to meet a tall beautiful woman. Her face was covered with a black mourning veil, but it was obvious that she was pretty and that Minako knew that this person was someone she loved as well; a woman who cared for a girl as much as she did for Minako could only be her mother. She didn't say a word as tears dropped to the floor one by one. Minako reached out to hug her but the man pulled her away as he threatened the woman's life. This room was now filled with the dark energy too. She saw that the woman was being tied up and that all the royal guards were too. There must have been an attack. The evil man yelled for hours at the woman about what was his and how he would take it by force and make sure the _other_ was killed in the process, then finally dragged Mina away again. The woman didn't argue nor tried to stop him. She knew he was right in whatever he was saying. She made a mistake, and Minako was the one who would suffer. She was told from the time she was old enough to understand that this day would come. He kept taking her farther and farther away from that place that was her home. He was cruel and full of hatred and didn't care about her happiness at all. He just wanted to make the beautiful woman suffer. They finally reached a new place, a new planet, and he threw her into a dungeon and locked her in. She was terrified. It was cold and dark and she was alone. She needed light and love and there was none to be found there…time in the darkness moved slower than all else, but there was more to the dream. There was a boy and a battle and she was eventually released, but still forced to stay on the foreign planet. However, her mind rushed over this part as she began to regain consciousness. She was terrified, not of ghosts or monsters or anything like that, but of that man, that isolation. It was so real it seemed like she was actually experiencing it. The scariest part though was the girl. She saw her face clearly in her dream and would recognize her anywhere. Knowing who was involved only made things more real.

The dream wouldn't leave her thoughts though even once she full gained consciousness. All the faces in her dream but one were a blur and even the rooms were somehow blurry now. Why could she only see one? All she was left with was the feeling of terror that the man gave her and a feeling of abandonment from the woman. And the face. The face she knew so well.

Minako slowly got up from her bed, careful not to wake up Artemis, and walked out onto the balcony of her hotel room. The moon was almost full; it would be by night fall actually. The stars were brighter than she'd seen in ages, and she could easily spot Venus by its bright glow. _The stars are always brightest right before dawn. _She remembered this saying from one of her classes, but she wasn't sure which one.

Minako didn't sleep another wink that night. Artemis found her still staring at the sky when he woke up. She ran over to her side with a concerned look sealed on his face knowing already something was off. "Minako? Are you okay? What are you doing out here?" He hopped onto her shoulder and brushed his face against her cheek to comfort her.

She ignored his questions for a moment still lost in thought. After a long pause she finally spoke. "Artemis, I had a dream last night. I think I've had it before or something because it was like it really happened. It was so real Artemis." She told him everything she remembered now which didn't make much sense. Many parts were missing pieces or just didn't make sense. He listened intently though but didn't speak. "Could that be real Artemis? Did something happen to me? Is it happening again right now?"

"Minako, calm down. It was only a dream right? You know I don't know about your past. All of our memories begin at the same point. I'm sure this is nothing to worry about. You'll be ok. You're tough and no one's ever beaten you before. This won't be any different. Whoever is trying to find you is up for a rude awakening." He tried his best to calm her, but it wasn't working.

"Artemis…you don't get it. I knew them. I knew them all in my dream. She was my mom! My mom just let him take me. I just don't remember who they really are now. Except one. The girl…" Artemis and Mina sat in complete silence now. He'd never seen her this worked up over something before.

"Minako? Who? Who was it?"

The girl's face was one that would be recognized anywhere. There was no mistaking her identity. Her white dress, cheery personality, the two signature buns and pigtails. "It was Usagi."


End file.
